Essay #1: Family Purpose: This assignment is a good place to begin practicing the writing process, including prewriting, listing, outlining, drafting, and so on, as well as practicing using and analyzing text within the given context. The overall goal is to write a convincing essay, and to do so, you will need to develop a strong thesis with solid rationales. Readings: The readings in this unit examine various opinions about the ideal American family and whether or not we have seen improvements or regressions since the 1950’s. Beginning with Gary Soto’s “Looking for Work,” we get a boy’s personal account of his everyday life trying to find work while also attempting to imitate the “perfect” 50’s white families he sees on TV. On a more evidence-based article, “What We Really Miss About the 1950s” by Stephanie Coontz is an academic research on why the 1950s is often referred to as “the good old days” of family harmony, and she offers evidence contradicting this myth. Finally, the film Pleasantville, introduces us to a boy, who like Soto, idolizes the 50’s white family on TV; however, the film reinforces Coontz’s bleak vision of the 50’s when the boy and his sister are magically transported to the 1950’s to save the bored and unhappy citizens of Pleasantville from their routine lifestyles. You may also watch/include episodes of I Love Lucy and Modern Family, along with clips from 1950’s TV shows like Father Knows Best, to get an understanding of family values and relationships in the 1950’s vs modern day. Writing Task: Keeping in mind what you believe is the ideal family, in a thesis-oriented and well-developed essay, answer the following question: Analyze whether or not the 1950s were actually “the good old days.” Tips: Think about what has changed in families, and whether or not those changes have been for the better. You may want to think about how your parents or grandparents spent quality time with their families in the past and compare your findings to the families of today. Are these technological advances beneficial to our familial relationships? Also, think about whether the families we see on TV (now and in the 50’s) offer an accurate representation of real-life families or do they set false standards/expectations? How does this change our perception of the ideal family? Some of the positive changes from the 1950’s you might want to consider include (but are not limited to): individuality, freedom, equal rights and opportunities for all, diversity in families, empowerment for women, more lenient gender roles and more. Some of the negative changes from the 1950’s you might want to consider include (but are not limited to): loss of family values, single parent households, lack of predictability in family structure, higher divorce rates and more. Essay must about 3-4 pages long, typed, double-spaced, and in 12 pt font. You are required to use at least 2 of our required readings as support in your essay.